Apple, China Mobile Sign Deal to Offer iPhone

China Mobile has signed a long-awaited deal with Apple to offer iPhones on its network, a person familiar with the situation said, an arrangement that would give the US technology giant a big boost in the world's largest mobile market.

The rollout of iPhones on the world's largest mobile carrier by users, with over 700 million subscribers, is expected to start by the end of 2013, around the time of a Dec. 18 China Mobile conference in Guangzhou, according to two people familiar with the carrier's plans. China Mobile is one of the world's last major carriers that doesn't offer the iPhone. At the Dec. 18 event, China Mobile plans to unveil a brand for its fourth-generation, or 4G, network. China Mobile executives have said they would only begin to sell the iPhone after introducing 4G services. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it gave licenses to China Mobile and its smaller rivals to operate the higher-speed mobile networks, clearing one of the last hurdles. A deal with China Mobile would give Apple access to a subscriber base that is seven times the size of Verizon Wireless, the US's largest carrier. Greater China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, is Apple's third biggest market after the US and Europe in terms of revenue.